A Virgin Mary icon is being credited with helping dozens of couples conceive, after a number of those who had visited it, conceived a child though they had previously been unable to.

At the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Byzantine Catholic Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico is a much-treasured icon of the Virgin Mary that many say has helped them conceive a child after they had been told they could not.

Father Christopher Zugger said he’s heard from many couples that they are expecting after praying to or touching the icon.

When asked if he believed in miracles, Father Zugger laughed and said, “I better believe in miracles. We see them every day.”

The 200-year-old iconic image of the Virgin Mary was bought by Father Zugger in 1998.

“Since then, we’ve had all kinds of miracles with all kinds of couples,” he said.

He told the local ABC affiliate KOAT 7 of one woman who said she’d had five miscarriages before coming to see the icon.

“She said, ‘Holy Mother of God, save this baby. I can’t lose another baby,’” Zugger said. “(She) put the icon on her stomach and she says, ‘I’m not leaving until the baby kicks me six times.’”

Today, he said, the baby she prayed for is a teenager.

When asked what he thought of his skeptics, he said they didn’t have to take his word for it. They should really talk to the couples the icon has helped.